Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales
Senior Specialist Lawyer
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The Role
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is seeking a Senior Specialist Lawyer to provide high-quality, timely legal advice and guidance to a wide range of internal clients. This is a unique opportunity to play a vital role in protecting and enhancing Wales's natural environment through impactful legal work.
As part of our Legal Services team, you will work closely with colleagues across the organisation on matters primarily relating to NRW's enforcement activity, including prosecution work. The role offers a varied and intellectually stimulating workload, with the opportunity to influence real-world environmental outcomes.
NRW engages with a broad range of stakeholders, including Welsh Government, third sector organisations and commercial entities. Your legal expertise will help shape our regulatory approach, influence decision-making and ensure our actions are legally robust and aligned with our purpose.
We are looking for a qualified solicitor or barrister with experience of delivering effective legal services in either the public or private sector. Knowledge of criminal law and the Code for Crown Prosecutors is highly desirable, given the enforcement focus of the role. Previous experience of environmental law is not essential, as training and support will be provided.
This is an excellent opportunity to apply your expertise to work that makes a tangible difference to Wales's environment, communities and future generations. Join us and help shape the future of Wales's natural environment through expert legal guidance and meaningful collaboration.
As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the place base / location above and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.
To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Sarah Asbrey at Sarah.Asbrey@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will be face to face on 12/08/2026 (details of location will be shared in advance)
What You Will Do
- Act in the best interests of NRW ensuring decision making and advice given are legally sound and all risks are actively managed.
- Provide high quality risk and solutions based legal advice so that the Board, the Chief Executive, Directors, managers and all officers fulfil their legal obligations, statutory duties and functions in accordance with the law.
- Use professional judgement and risk analysis to best utilise the use of external legal providers, commission, utilise and manage those providers, including Solicitors, Barristers and Parliamentary Agents, to ensure that NRW fulfils its lawful obligations and the service delivers value for money.
- Instigate and conduct criminal proceedings providing recommendations for decision to Head of Legal Services on Prosecutions, Formal cautions and civil sanctions including assessment of evidence and application of the public interest test in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
- Take full conduct of civil litigation including specialist proceedings (eg judicial review) developing and implementing individually tailored litigation strategies, being accountable for assessing evidence, likelihood of success, preparing for and attending at courts, tribunals and inquiries and conducting advocacy in those fora.
- Consider the pertinence of, and where necessary develop and draft legislative orders (eg Orders, byelaws and other subordinate legislation) to achieve NRW objectives.
- Through effective engagement, communication, influencing and negotiation, develop and maintain good working relationships with internal clients and external stakeholders including Welsh Government, Westminster departments, other public- sector organisations, AMs, MPs, various industrial and commercial sectors regulated by NRW, the legal community, the Courts and Tribunal service.
- Influence the development, implementation and interpretation of EU, UK and Welsh legislation by interacting with the relevant legislative bodies and their policy advisors in a way that promotes Welsh interests and ensures Wales specific impacts are understood.
- Contribute to and advise upon the development and implementation of NRW strategies and policies, identifying and limiting all risks and in so doing, ensure strategy and policy making is lawful, robust and can be supported through challenge.
- Encourage best practice, innovation and continuous improvement across the Legal team and NRW by identifying and implementing learning opportunities from casework, sharing expertise and knowledge through mentoring and coaching thus improving resilience within and across teams, and providing training internally and/or to external bodies to enhance their understanding of NRW.
- Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
- Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
- Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
- Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.
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Your Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills
In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.
- Qualified solicitor with current practising certificate issued by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) or barrister with a current practising certificate issued by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), and practising experience in public and regulatory law.
- Ideally 2 years post qualification experience (PQE) on entry combined with business acumen, risk management skills and sound judgement based on experience.
- Evidence of compliance with competency frameworks and Continuing Professional Development obligations is required.
- Experience in the procurement/commissioning of external legal advice and associated services and the interpretation of such advice to aid internal decision making.
- A working understanding of the devolution settlement in Wales as well as the legal environment within which NRW operates including its relationship with Westminster Departments for non-devolved matters.
- Ability to operate with confidence and credibility at the highest levels of an organisation.
- Pragmatic and forward thinking with an ability to innovate to develop solutions to complex legal or service delivery issues.
- Political awareness and experience of operating in politically sensitive environments.
- Exercises sound judgement and be willing to be held to account for decisions, actions and choices made personally, thus instilling confidence and gaining respect at all levels.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and presentation skills.
- Able to act as a role model of organisational values, showing exemplary behaviours of honesty, integrity and ethics.
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Welsh Language Level Requirements
Essential: Level A1 - Entry level
Welsh language levels
Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Additional Information
- Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.
- This role meets the criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Natural Resources Wales welcomes applications from non-UK citizens who are eligible to apply under this route, subject to confirmation by the Home Office.
- Please note that while we may be able to support the Certificate of Sponsorship required for a visa application, the organisation does not cover the cost of the visa itself, including any associated fees for dependants.
- The applicant must still meet the UK Skilled Worker Visa Eligibility and Requirement. For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
- 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
- generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
- commitment to professional development
- health and wellbeing benefits and support
- weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose
See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.
Please Keep Reading
We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.
We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.
We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.
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